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Asia-Pacific
Partnership
Buildings
and Appliances Taskforce
Harmonization
of Testing Procedures
Workshop
on the Lighting Project
Kangnam Novotel Hotel, Seoul, Korea
16th July 2007
The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and
Climate (APP) is an initiative to accelerate the
development and deployment of clean energy
technologies. The Partner countries are Australia,
China, India, Japan, Korea and the United States of
America. The Partners have agreed to collaborate to
promote and create an enabling environment for the
development, diffusion, deployment and transfer of
cleaner technologies and practices through a series of
Task Forces.
The
Buildings and Appliances Task Force (BATF). The
BATF has agreed to a series of projects proposals,
details of which can be found by
clicking here.
One of these projects, Harmonization of Test
Procedures, aims to eliminate major barriers to
developing successful standards and labeling programs.
This project wants to develop enabling arrangements for
harmonized test procedures for four technologies
including lighting.
Almost 30
participants from Partner countries (and invited
lighting experts) gathered at this initial workshop to
scope the nature of this project. The workshop was
convened by the Australian Government with the help of
Korean government agencies.
The
workshop discussed the suitability and potential design
of several project proposals for APP member countries
which aim to improve the efficiency of lighting.
The
participants agreed the goal of their workshop was to:
-
Consider developing proposals for
practical projects in the field of lighting;
-
Develop a process and timetable under
which APP member countries could take decisions to
participate in the potential lighting projects;
-
Explore how APP member countries can
best monitor the range of international initiatives
currently ongoing in this field;
-
Consider the merits of APP member
countries coordinating with or even leading these
other initiatives within their own project framework.
Lighting
use upwards of 19% of global electricity and the
electricity consumed by lighting accounts for 2650TWh. Many countries
have test procedures, standards, and labeling (mandatory
and/or voluntary) schemes for a wide variety of
products.
In the majority of cases, these test procedures and
resulting performance levels are different, resulting in
a worldwide patchwork of testing and performance
requirements. What is true for equipment and appliances
in general is also true for CFLs.
Harmonizing CFL test procedures and regulation will
stimulate CFL sales
and dramatically reduce the energy consumption of
household lighting and abate greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite being globally traded, they remain regulated on
a national basis resulting in a multiplicity of test and
performance requirements,
even with APP countries. The benefits of harmonisation
for all stakeholders are obvious:
-
Suppliers - reduced costs for
manufacturers/increased range of products available in
individual markets
-
Regulators - increase options for
regulators/programmes to undertake voluntary or
mandatory actions
-
Compliance - increased potential for
improved quality of product through more robust
compliance locally and pan-nationally
-
Public - increased consumer
knowledge/choice and reduces their overall costs
The
workshop was able to resolve agreement from all
participants that two possible projects would not only
contribute to the APP agenda but could also coordinate
(and in some aspects lead) the global agenda for high
efficiency lighting.
Possible
Project 1 –
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)
Goals:
The proposed project would
develop a methodology for test procedures that is
harmonized among the participant countries, share the
developed methodology and engage international standards
agencies, amass results using the methodology, and
facilitate mutual acceptance of accreditation of CFL
testing facilities and test results.
Methodology:
Work with APEC-supported CFL International Harmonization
Initiative (CFLI) to create a single international
testing method for CFLs.
Funding:
Budget likely to be about US$400,000 (Australia able to
provide about half)
Possible project 2–
Facilitation of Regional Phaseout of Inefficient Lamps
Goals: Promote the
uptake of efficient lighting and the
removal of inefficient lighting technologies, develop
and share a phaseout method, coordinate phaseout
programs, conduct relevant research and amass results,
and facilitate mutual acceptance of accreditation and
results
Methodology:
Complement Global
Environment Facility (GEF) and UN Commission on
Sustainable Development (CSD) work on phaseout in China
and other nations. Lend APP brand name to ongoing
international work.
Funding:
Budget likely to be about US$400,000
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